Philharmonic Fairytales

This past week I have had the priviledge to present the first half of EPO's Lollipop Concerts with 11 musicians, 2 dancers and Maestro Savia. The concerts were "informances" geared towards ages 3, 4, and 5. I wrote, narrated, hired, booked, publicized...you name it, I did it. There were six shows and entertained in access of 1200 children and 180 adults. I felt proud and blessed to work with such talented people in producing an art educational event for the community.

Here are some pics from the rehearsal:



And the cast of characters:


I am now sufficiently worn out and ready for a week off to recharge the batteries.

The Birthday

It's my birthday!

I woke up to wonderful little boys (who I had to force to take a picture with me)





I got to celebrate later in the day with my sister, nephew, mom, dad and, of course, the boys.



I chose Nagasaki for my birthday dinner...more specifically, I wanted to sit at the Hibachi Grill and order Sake. I got an Apple Martini instead. It wasn't incredibly "kid friendly", but Jackson was a good sport and tried all the adult food, including his salad and soup.


Jackson really enjoyed watching the chef cook our meal in front of us. He didn't take his eyes off the grill.


The chef was very entertaining. And Jackson was delighted when he made fire shoot up in the air.


Everyone went back to the house for presents and cake.


I got everything on my list: a slow cooker, enrollment in the Cake Decorating Class at Michael's, and giftcards to Kohls and Amazon.

Jackson helped me blow out my candles...


...on the cake I made for myself :)


When I became a mother, I felt that birthdays should be equally about celebrating the mother of the birthday person as it is about the person who's birthday it is.
So, because I had a spare cookie cake lying around, I decorated it for my mother:


So happy birthday to me! And, thanks Mom, for pushing!

No Day But Today

Today I started the process of checking something off my bucket list.
I took my very first flight lesson.

I got to fly a Cessna 172. It is a very tiny 4-seater plane.

My instructor, Chris, was awesome. He let me take control almost right away and I flew him from one end of Evansville to the other and back.

We even flew over my house! (He took the reigns while I took pictures...couldn't help it *blush*)



He showed me where to find Evansville's own "Crop Circle"... AKA stick figure man. Can you see him down there?



In total, we were in the air for about 45 minutes. I felt like I learned a lot fairly quickly, and didn't feel overwhelmed at all like I thought I would be. I can't quite find the right words to accurately describe what it felt like to be flying a plane. I absolutely LOVED it. In fact, I can't stop thinking about flying again!

I need to fly 40 hours to qualify to take the test to get my private pilot's license. It isn't the cheapest hobby to have...so I'll have to take the lessons as I can afford them. This is definitely something I will pursue though.

love. Love. LOVE!

Work Hard, Play Harder

I am halfway through my first week in my new position at the EPO, and am really loving it! The first-day-learning-curve-overwhelming feeling is disappearing, and I am feeling every day more like I am working the job instead of the job working me.

The flexibility is nice as well as the family friendly atmosphere. I pretty much get to make my own schedule. Being a structured person who likes routine, I opted to set my schedule as such: in office Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; take Thursday off; use Friday as an "in field" day (ie work from home, visit schools, go out on location...). Of course as the work load fluctuates, so will my schedule. AND I get 10 weeks off a year. Sweet.

Samuel is hanging out with me in the office until he starts daycare in September. My office is large...good thing as it now houses a Pack N Play, playmat, Bumbo, a box of toys, and accommodates the diaper bag and stroller I drag in with me every day. Not to mention the 50 or so small instruments that live in office to be used for the Petting Zoos.

The staff are super nice and like seeing Samuel in the office. Most of them have kids themselves.

AND I get to be around some great music and musicians. All the time. I am so happy things have worked out the way they have.

It has taken a bit of time to get used to the new routine at home. Once I leave work and get Jackson from daycare, I change clothes and spend the next 45 minutes or so just playing with the boys. Then I fix dinner. Then bath. Then some sort of quiet activity. Then Samuel goes to bed. After Samuel goes to bed, Jackson and I snuggle and watch an episode of his-choice on Netflix. Lately he has been picking IronMan. Then Jackson goes to bed, and I stay up for another hour or so getting things done before I head to bed myself. Rinse and repeat.

It is nice to have Thursdays off. I keep the boys home with me and the plan is to do some kind of fun activity together. Today we went to Craft Time at the library, had lunch at the park, and fed the ducks.

Here is a little tour of my office:









At midday, Samuel and I will either go meet my sister (who works right across the street) for lunch, or we will walk to Central Library. Samuel likes to chill in his stroller (I love the way he crosses his feet - Jackson does that, too).

This was the cutest appointment I had all week.


See ya at the Symphony!

A New Chapter

I am pleased to announce that I have been named the new Education Director of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. I "officially" start on July 11. I am very excited about this opportunity and look forward to the new chapter in my life.

So Close

I am SO CLOSE to my pre-Jackson weight. Only 4 more lbs! I finally gave in and bought new jeans. I could pull the jeans I WAS wearing down without even undoing the belt. Much to my surprise when I went to try on NEW jeans, I was down 5 SIZES!

These last 4 lbs are proving to be stubborn. But I'll get them off. Between yoga and healthy eating and zumba and chasing a toddler around and nursing a baby, they are sure to come off. Eventually.





But for now...I'm Feeling Good!

Closer To Fine

In three days, Samuel will be 3 months old. I gained 42 pounds in my pregnancy with Samuel. Since Samuel was born 88 days ago, I have successfully lost ALL of my Samuel weight! I feel such a sense of accomplishment. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the Wrye women.

Next to get rid of that leftover Jackson weight... 9.6 lbs... 105 days to my sister's wedding. I can do this!

Ultimate Mom "To Do" List

Update on my weight goals... Exactly 2 months after giving birth to Samuel, I am 36.2 lbs (~16.5 kg) lighter. Just another 5.8 lbs (2.6 kg) and I have lost all of my Samuel weight. And after that, I will start working on my left over Jackson weight...another 10 lbs (4.5 kg). I am really pretty happy with the progression so far. I have been counting calories like mad, making sure I am consuming an extra 500 HEALTHY calories to aid in breastmilk production, as well as drinking only water (with one Sobe Lifewater Zero calories) daily. I'm sure that constantly chasing after a toddler, running up and down stairs, and cleaning the never ending mess that two kids seem to produce is helping, too!
I received several gift cards for Christmas to Kohl's and Target to buy clothes. I was trying to hold out to use them until ALL the weight was gone. But I just couldn't anymore. I felt silly walking around in baggy maternity clothes. So I bought a pair of skinny jeans, 3 tops and a dress. I am really looking forward to expanding my wardrobe even more!

In other news, I am going to apply for a job within the EVSC school system for next year. In order to obtain my teaching license I must take the Praxis I and II exams. The Praxis I is a 4.5 hour exam on reading, writing, and math. And the Praxis II is a 2.5 hour exam on music. I'm currently going through the study guides...those are two exams I wouldn't want to take twice!
I'm also trying to forge ahead with my Masters Thesis. After the loss of my John Lennon notecards, I had been quite discouraged (still don't know what I'm going to do with that one). But my final recital is scheduled for the Spring and I am working on my opening chapter research. It will be such a relief to get this thing completed so I can finally read one of the 75 books on my Kindle that are for fun!

This is all certainly a challenge to accomplish while catering to a toddler and newborn and holding down 4 jobs. I seems that everyday I cross 5 things off of my to-do list and 10 more things appear. Speaking of, I'm teaching a voice lesson in a half an hour. I'd better make sure Samuel is fed, wake up Jackson and give him his snack, and change two diapers so there are no untimely interruptions! In the meantime, enjoy this little song by Hilary Weeks...

Who Could Ask For Anything More

It's Friday morning. Jackson is at daycare. Samuel is sitting next to me sleeping. My house is being cleaned (thanks, Groupon). I still have an hour and 10 minutes before I need to leave for work. I am soaking in this peacefulness. Because most of the time, life is CRAZY!

Jackson is quite the active little toddler. He no longer walks...he runs. I can't believe how quickly he is growing up! I ask him what he wants to eat and he tells me! He says "thank you" when appropriate! He follows instructions and makes his toys have conversations!
He can sing the ABCs (minus a few letters at the end)!
**there is no picture to this video...only sound...I had to trick Jackson as he wouldn't sing it on camera (is he really my son??)



My dad bought Jackson a Thomas and Friends electric train set. When Jackson woke up yesterday, he found the unopened box. I told him he could open it after he ate breakfast. You should have seen how quickly he ate (for a normally extremely slow eater)! We put the train set together and he played with it all day.
Jackson LOVES Thomas. He can sing the theme song. I am pretty sure we will have a Thomas themed second birthday party.


Jackson also LOVES his juice. And just this past week he has graduated to a (semi) big boy cup! He rebelled for the straw cup...until he got thirsty. And then he relented and learned to drink from the new cup. Now when he drinks from it, he says "big boy". Yes, sweet pea, you're a big boy!



This week, Jackson had to come to rehearsal with me (and Samuel). I packed his Diego backpack with a coloring book, crayons, a book, some trains and cars and a snack, and off we went. He was so well behaved! He played by himself when everyone was busy. But when the high-schoolers weren't needed on stage they would come and play with him. He had a great time with them, and I have several new babysitters :)



We are still working on potty training. There is no big rush so we are taking it as it comes. Jackson can identify what he's done after he's done it, but doesn't recognize the urge to go enough to voice it. And he knows what the potty is, where it is, and for what it is used. When I have to go, he typically comes with me. We go through the process of explaining what is happening and he always says "bye bye" when we flush (HAHA).

I am also very happy with how he is doing at daycare. He loves to go, loves his friends, and loves Miss Brandy. And he learns SO much! He has a best buddy there called Dillon and a girlfriend called Natalie. Apparently, the girls really like Jackson - I was told he just sits there and they bring him toys and kiss his cheeks and make sure he eats lunch and pretty much treat him like a king! Love it! He's a cheeky one!

I keep telling my mother that this is my favorite age. And she says "so far". Subtle words of wisdom from my mother.


I have officially packed away all of the newborn clothes. It was kind of sad! Did it really go by that quickly? I guess anything would seem quicker than Jackson's transition out of newborn clothes (at 6 months!!)... I am thankful we had friends who passed on their baby boy clothes...all of Jackson's 0-3 month clothes were for the summer...nothing suitable for this cold weather!



Samuel continues to be a great baby. He hasn't slept through the night since I last reported, but he does sleep consistently in 4-5 hour stretches. I can't complain. And I enjoy the quiet at night with him. He is becoming more aware with every passing day. I love his expressions!





Such a happy baby!



Samuel is getting more used to Jackson, too. And Jackson is becoming a little less rough with his brother. I love seeing them interact. Samuel just watches Jackson, and of course, Jackson wants to kiss and hug his brother at every opportunity. (Which isn't always a good thing...like when Jackson brings a cold home from daycare...and now Samuel has a cold...hmmmm).






As for me, I am doing great. I am working and doing everything I did in the fall. It gets easier as the routine becomes more established. I treasure Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings when I get to stay at home with my boys and play. I feel great. Most of the time I feel rested (there are those occasional nights when one or both boys are off). And I am happy. Genuinely happy.
As for my weight loss, over the past 2 weeks I have lost another 2.2 lbs. That brings my total since Jan 1 to 9.8 lbs gone. I have 10.2 lb left of Samuel weight and 10 lb left of Jackson weight. I feel optimistic about it. I am eating way healthier than I have in a long time. I am more aware of what I am putting in my mouth. One challenge for our group was to eat 5 serves of vegetables and fruit a day. I was able to complete it, and am still eating 4-5 serves a day now. The current challenge is drinking 64 oz of water a day (that's 8 8 oz glasses). So far I'm good. I have my 32 oz mug that I got while in hospital with Samuel and I fill that up twice a day. Most days I am done by 2:00pm. And I am still thirsty! I must be very dehydrated. Drinking that much water also curbs my appetite so I am not wanting to snack as much. The first day I drank 64 oz of water, myfitnesspal (the iPhone app I am using to track my caloric intake and exercise) told me that I had not consumed enough calories to maintain a healthy level of nutrition (which isn't good because I need an extra 500 calories a day above what I normally would need just to make breastmilk). I was surprised! So now I am consciously trying to add a couple of healthy snacks in the afternoon so I don't screw up this great thing Samuel and I have going on. I've also thrown in a bit of exercise as well...mainly elliptical machine work and abdominal crunches.
So here I am, 6 weeks post partum and 32 lbs lighter (since giving birth).



Other interesting happenings with my post partum body...
I have started leaking. I didn't have that with Jackson so I wasn't expecting it at all. Well, one morning at church as I was up in front of the congregation leading the music doing my job I feel wet on my right side...all over...my side, my arm... yeh... good thing I was wearing black or it would have REALLY been noticeable.
Also now getting the post partum hair loss, but even more disconcerting is the chemical change in my scalp. My hair was SO greasy. But it was only greasy in the center near the roots. It was disgusting. I changed shampoos three times and nothing cleared it up. I washed it and it still looked dirty. Gross. I finally went to my lovely hair dresser and she mixed baking soda in with the shampoo. Took it right out! So now I mix baking soda in with my shampoo every morning. Clever Katie! Katie also said (for anyone else out there who might be experiencing this...lots of my friends are having babies) that if you didn't have baking soda to use Dawn dish soap first, then use your regular shampoo. No conditioner.


I just feel really lucky. Really grateful. Really thankful. I have to pinch myself sometimes...I am a mother. A MOTHER! My husband and I put our genes together and made two little boys who are amazing! I am responsible for the well being mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually of two tiny human beings. Yes, at times it is overwhelming and I wish I could have some more "me" time. But that will come later. I wouldn't trade this time for anything in the world. To watch a newborn discover a whole new world and a toddler develop a new skill every day... Could there be anything better in the world than being a mother?

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

I thought I'd take a quick break from my beautiful children and blog about myself for a second or two. My family is doing a weight loss challenge. It started New Year's Day. Some are doing Weight Watchers, some are counting calories, some are exercising like there is no tomorrow. I am counting calories with an iPhone app called MyFitnessPal. In 9 days when I get the go ahead to start some exercise, I will start on the elliptical. Since giving birth I have lost 30 lbs! I am back in my pre-Samuel jeans! I still have 22 lbs more to lose before I hit my pre-Jackson weight, and that is my goal by June 25 (my sister's wedding date). For the weight loss challenge, we all had to specify an 8 week goal for a reward at the end. If one person doesn't make goal, NO ONE gets the reward. My goal was 10 lbs. We are 2 weeks in and I have lost 7.6 lbs. But more than simply numbers, I feel great. I am drinking tons of water, and eating lots of fruits and vegetables. I'd like to post my progress on this blog as I feel it will keep me on track. I refuse to be the weakest link! So accountability...it's a strong motivator. Here is my "belly pic" from today.



Not bad, eh, for just having given birth 4.5 weeks ago?